AWPA Human Rights report - West Papua
2012

This report details incidents of human
rights abuses in the past year and in particular looks at
the crackdown on the KNPB. It shows the continuing struggle
of the West Papuan people for their right to
self-determination. It is by no means exhaustive. In the
report AWPA uses the name “West Papua” to refer to the
whole of the western half of the Island of New Guinea.
However, “West Papua” at this time is divided into two
provinces, Papua and West Papua.

Summary of
events

There was no improvement in the human
rights situation in West Papua in 2012. In fact, the human
rights situation continued to deteriorate with the
Indonesian security forces targeting human rights defenders,
peaceful demonstrators and in particular members of the West
Papua National Committee (KNPB).

The year started with
the trial against five Papuan activists for treason. The
trial began on the 30 January and the five men, Forkorus
Yaboisembut, Edison Waromi, Selpius Bobii, Domingkus Sorabut
and Agustinus Kraar were charged with treason because of
their involvement in the 3rd Papuan People's Congress which
was held between the 17 and 19 October in 2011.

In March
the Jayapura District Court sentenced the men to three years
in prison for subversion. At no time did these men commit
violence and they have been jailed solely for peacefully
expressing their political views as is their right under
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As opposed to the three-year sentence given to the five
activists, no action was taken against the security force
personal who were involved in the brutal crackdown and they
received only written warnings. There were also serious
doubts about the fairness of the trial proceedings. The
security forces maintained a heavy presence during the trial
sessions and one of the senior lawyers for the defence,
Gustav Kawer, was threatened with prosecution, in violation
of his right under Indonesian law and international
standards to carry out his professional duties in defending
clients in court. Amnesty International considers all five
men to be prisoners of conscience.

The Working Group on
the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), held its thirteenth
session from 21 May to 4 June 2012. The review of Indonesia
was held at the 5th meeting on 23 May 2012. A number of
countries used the session to question Indonesia on the
human rights situation in West Papua including questioning
the Indonesian government on its handling of human rights
violations, such as the torture of civilians, shootings and
killings in Papua

Amnesty International in its annual
report for 2012 also criticized the Indonesian security
forces stating, “Security forces faced repeated
allegations of torturing and otherwise ill-treating
detainees, particularly peaceful political activists in
areas with a history of independence movements such as Papua
and Maluku. Independent investigations into such allegations
were rare”

In April 2012 Amnesty released a report
“Indonesia must end impunity for police violence”
“Police in Indonesia shoot, beat and even kill people
without fear of prosecution, leaving their victims with
little hope of justice” and “despite a decade of
supposed reform – officers continue to be implicated in
shootings and beatings of peaceful individuals during
protests, land disputes and even day-to-day arrests.
Criminal investigations into human rights violations
by the police are rare, punishments light and Indonesia has
no independent national body to deal effectively with public
complaints”.

The Institute for Policy Research and
Advocacy (ELSAM) also alleged that the National Police made
widespread use of torture in their detention centers to
extract information from detainees. ELSAM claimed in its
quarterly report that at least 10 detainees, out of 22 cases
of torture it investigated, had died in police detention.
The ELSAM survey, conducted between January and April, found
that 32 individuals had been tortured. “We found that 12
of the 22 cases of torture against detainees were committed
by active-duty police officers. This shows that despite
massive media reporting about the practice the police have
not yet learned their lesson and still resort to violence to
collect information,” said ELSAM researcher Wahyudi Djafar
(Jakarta Post 4 June 2012)

In the past year there was a
large number of shootings and clashes between armed groups
throughout West Papua. Although the security forces usually
tried to blame the OPM, many of the culprits of the attacks
have yet to be found. However, the security forces conducted
military operations in response to some of these attacks
leaving the local people in fear and traumatized by the
military operations. Numerous reports have pointed out that
it is in the interests of the Indonesian military to provoke
conflict in West Papua and every incident cannot be blamed
on the OPM. There are also militia groups operating in West
Papua.

There were also a large number of rallies held by
peaceful demonstrators in the past year, which should
confirm to the international community that the issue of
West Papua is not going away.

Concern about
journalists alleged to be serving TNI
interests

Civil society organisations have been
very successful in raising awareness of the human rights
abuses committed by the Indonesian security forces in West
Papua. In response to the increased awareness of the
situation it appears the Indonesian security forces are
using journalists as agents to gather information on
activists in West Papua. An article in Bintang Papua (17
July 2012) reported that eleven journalists working in Papua
are alleged to be passing on information to the Indonesian
army’

and

“The fact that eleven journalists may be
assisting the TNI is having a detrimental impact on those
journalists who work in conformity with the ethical code
because people may very well suspect these other journalists
of working in the interests of certain interests or
institutions”.

The Jayapura branch of the Alliance of
Independent Journalists (AJI) raised concerns stating
“'AJI is very concerned that a number of Papuan
journalists may be agents of the military. If this is true,
it would significantly damage the reputation of journalists
who are neutral and who consistently serve the interests of
the general public”.

The Indonesian security forces are
also receiving media training from the UK Ministry of
Defence. Antara News (23 July 2012) reported that “The
United Kingdom Ministry of Defence will hold a training
program on media operations for Indonesian military
officers, starting Monday through Friday (July 27), as part
of an effort to improve the defense forces` ability to work
in the modern media environment. Deputy British Ambassador
to Indonesia Rebecca Razavi noted that media had the power
to influence people`s opinion and the way history was
written. Therefore, she added, such training programs were
essential for a good democracy”.

Australian -
Indonesian relations

The whole island of New
Guinea will always be strategically important to Australia
and it is in the interests of the Australian Government to
have a stable region to our north. However, in West Papua,
the policies of the Indonesian Government, compounded by the
actions of the Indonesian security forces will lead to the
very instability the Australian Government is trying to
avoid. West Papua is the one issue that could cause major
friction between Australia and Indonesia and in its own
interest, Australia should be addressing the question of how
to solve the many issues of concern in the
territory.

Although Indonesia has made great progress
towards democracy in recent years, unfortunately this has
not translated to an improvement in the human rights
situation in West Papua. There are ongoing human rights
abuses in West Papua with many recent reports documenting
these abuses.

In 2013, it will be 50 years since
Indonesian took over administration of West Papua from UNTEA
in 1963 and the West Papuan people are still continuing
their struggle for justice and self-determination. This
continuing struggle by the West Papuan people should be
noted by the Australian Government. It is an issue that is
not going away and just by geographically alone we are
involved.

Australia’s
involvement

Australia helps train the Indonesian
military.

The Australian Government states that “ the
Australian Defence Force provides ongoing training to the
Indonesian military that emphasizes human rights awareness,
accountability and respect for the rule of law. We believe
that our support for increased professionalism within
Indonesia’s security forces will continue to result in
improvements to their human rights record”.

AWPA is
concerned greatly by the ties with the Indonesian security
forces which the Lombok Treaty commits us to. We believe
that any aid, training or the sharing of intelligence
material with the Indonesian military could be used against
the West Papuan people. Australia helps train Detachment 88
which has been involved in security operations in West
Papua. A number of West Papuans have been killed and
detained in operations in which Detachment 88 was involved.

At an Estimates hearing in October and in response to
questions by Senator Di Natale, Deputy Commissioner Drennan
reported that at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement
Cooperation (JCLEC), there have been 702 students from
Detachment 88. Eleven of those members of Detachment 88 have
been from the Papua province and there is one member from
Detachment 88 who is stationed in Papua province who has
attended a course at JCLEC. There have been 6,932 students
from the Indonesian National Police who have attended the
JCLEC. At the hearing the Australian Federal Police (AFP)
commissioner Tony Negus said the AFP was taking precautions
to ensure it wasn't supporting activities unacceptable to
the Australian community And "If there was ever any taint of
anyone we have trained, being involved in inappropriate
activity, we would certainly have to review that level of
support that we would provide," he told the hearing in
Canberra.

AWPA believes it is now time for the AFP to
investigate if any members of Detachment 88 they have
trained has been involved in security operations in West
Papua, which is outside their brief.

Australia to
sell more military equipment to Indonesia

Extract from WAtoday (6 September
2012)

Australia will begin work on selling military
hardware to Indonesia as Defence Minister Stephen Smith says
he has ''no concerns'' about alleged human rights abuses by
Indonesian soldiers in the restive province of West Papua.
After a series of meetings over two days, Mr Smith and his
Indonesian counterpart, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, signed a new
''Defence Co-operation Agreement'' with commitments about
future exercises and, for the first time, a focus on the
trade in defence equipment. The move stems from Australia's
recent decision to give Indonesia four C-130 Hercules
aircraft. Mr Smith has signaled he would be prepared to sell
them six more, saying talks about opening up military trade
were at an early stage, but would develop over the next 12
months. (

Australia raises concerns with
Indonesian Government

During the year members of
the Australian Government did raise concerns about the
situation in West Papua although this is probably more in
response to journalists asking questions on the issue. A
small step but hopefully raising concerns about the
situation in West Papua will become the norm on all visits
by our politicians to Indonesia.

On his trip to Indonesia
in mid July, Foreign Minister Bob Carr was questioned on the
human rights situation in West Papua in a doorstop with
interview journalists

From the Jakarta Post, 17 July

The Australian Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, raised
sensitive issues relating to alleged human rights abuses and
violence in Indonesia’s poorest province, Papua, during a
meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Marty Natalegawa,
on Monday. Marty said that Carr told him that
Australia wanted the Indonesian government to promote
transparency in matters concerning Papua. “But he
also reiterated the principal position of Australia: that it
recognizes Indonesia’s integrity and sovereignty which
includes Papua,” Marty said at his office after the
meeting with Carr. The Australian media had reported
that Carr was aware of the human rights issues in Papua, and
would bring the issue up in his Indonesian visit. Carr
arrived in Indonesia on Friday, and has since visited
several projects funded by the Australian government in
Yogyakarta, including a village hit hard by Mount Merapi’s
eruption in 2010. “We’ve quietly worked with the
Indonesians to see that there, as elsewhere, reasonable
standards of human rights protection are maintained,” Carr
said in Yogyakarta.

Australia's Attorney-General Nicola
Roxon who was on a visit to Indonesia was asked about the
crackdown on a number of peaceful rallies held in West Papua
in October. She told Radio Australia (23 October) that any
cases of alleged abuse by the security forces must be
properly investigated. Ms Roxon said Australia's ambassador
and Foreign Affairs department is looking into the latest
reports of the West Papua violence. "Any incidence of
conflict and violence in the Papuan province is of a real
concern both to us and to the Indonesian government," Ms
Roxon said. "Australia is very firmly committed to making
sure that any abuses or any alleged abuses by security
forces in Papua will be properly investigated and
punished."

Dialogue with Jakarta

The
West Papuan people have been calling for dialogue with
Jakarta for years as a way of trying to solve the many
issues of concern in West Papua. However, statements from
members of the government in the past year have not been
encouraging. Statements such as that from the deputy
chairman of Commission 1, Tubagus Hasanuddin (reported in a
Jakarta Globe article "House bangs drum of war in Papua”)

“To keep Papua integrated with the country we must
encourage the TNI to do what they have to do in
Papua"and" that the House was yet to give
political support for any TNI offensive against the
separatist movement in Papua, but it would not hesitate to
back it if the occasion demanded".

In July President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that separatism of any kind in
Indonesia must be stopped because it poses a serious threat
to national integrity. "The attempts of those who want to
secede from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia
(NKRI) are best described not as the freedom of speech but
as separatism. It must be stopped," the President said
during his speech to the National Defence Forces (TNI) and
the National Police (Polri) cadets at the Magelang Military
Academy. These statements must create fear
in the West Papuan people who have already suffered so much
from Indonesian military operations.

West Papua
National Committee rally in May

In May the West
Papua National Committee (KNPB) held a number of rallies to
protest the handover of West Papua by the United Nations
Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) to Indonesia on the
1st May in 1963. One person was killed and 13 protesters
arrested by the security forces at one rally held at the
grave of Chief Theys Eluay. The Indonesian Human Rights
Monitor (Imparsial) condemned the shooting in Papua.

In June there was an
attack by the military on the village of Honai Lama, a sub
district of Wamena in the Baliem Valley. One person was
killed and up to 17 wounded in the attack by the security
forces. The head of the Jayawijaya district said that the
security forces also set fire to 37 homes.

The attack on
the village was sparked by a road accident in which a child
was knocked down while he was playing by the side of the
road by two soldiers on motorbikes from Kostrad, the
Indonesian Army's strategic reserve. The villagers turned
on the soldiers and in the melee that followed the soldiers
were dragged from their motorcycles and one died after
allegedly being stabbed. The national police spokesman,
Saud Usman Nasution said "following the road accident
soldiers from the local military arrived in two trucks and
took revenge by firing gunshots toward local residents and
setting a number of houses on fire." During the revenge
attack local villagers were beaten up and stabbed by the
military members and vehicles parked in front of houses were
also burned. This attack shows how unprofessional and
undisciplined the Indonesian military can be.

15
human rights activists arrested in Jayapura

In
July 15 members of the Papuan Solidarity for Human Rights
Victims organization (SKPHP) were arrested while they were
engaged in collecting money from the general public to cover
the costs of medical treatment for political prisoners and
other prisoners now being held in Abepura. The police said
that they had dispersed the people because SKPHP had not
registered with the provincial administration. However, a
member of SKPHP told JUBI that before undertaking the action
they had notified the police of their intentions in both
Abepura and Jayapura. One member said that this was an act
of intimidation against human rights activists and that it
represented an assault against their democratic rights.
SKPHP is an organisation which supports political prisoners
in Papua and they regularly do fund raising to buy medicines
for prisoners.

International Day of the World’s
Indigenous People

In August there was a crackdown
by the Indonesian security forces on two peaceful rallies in
West Papua. Both rallies were commemorating the
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. In
Serui, on Yapen Island, the security forces consisting of a
Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and military from the 1709
District Military Command blocked hundreds of peaceful
protesters as they marched on the morning of the 9th of
August. During the protest the security forces fired their
guns into the air to disperse the protesters, causing many
to flee in fear. According to Amnesty International at least
seven people were arbitrarily arrested during and after the
demonstration including a pregnant women and they are being
held at the Yapen District police station. The Jakarta
Globe (August 11) reported that in Manokwari ten people were
arrested as they marched also celebrating the International
Day of the World’s Indigenous People. The police accused
them of being involved in a seditious act because the West
Papuan National flag was waved during the rally. We point
out that at no time did any of the demonstrators commit
violence and they were simply marching peacefully
celebrating a UN proclaimed day.

The International
Day of the World's Indigenous People was first proclaimed by
the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated
every year during the first International Decade of the
World's Indigenous People (1995 – 2004). In 2004, the
Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade, from 2005
– 2015, with the theme of "A Decade for Action and
Dignity."

Security operations

There
have been a number of security operations (sweeps) in the
Paniai region during the year. In August after a police
officer was shot and killed the police raided homes and
arbitrarily arrested innocent civilians. At least five homes
were torched by police officers local activists reported and
at least 15 civilians were tortured. The police denied the
claims saying they were in pursuit of the suspects according
to procedures. Authorities also imposed a curfew in the
district. Statements from members of the government at the
time are of concern as they imply the security forces can
act with impunity in their sweeping operations".

The
Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister
Djoko Suyanto said that “the government’s heavy-handed
response to the recent shootings in Papua should not be
misconstrued as a human rights violation, as it was a risk
that had to be taken in locating the perpetrators” and
“We will take all necessary action to track them
down, so don’t blame us for any human rights
violations”, because they are the human rights violators
who terrorize members of the security forces and the people
of the land,” Djoko said at his ministry, after a
coordination meeting with the National Intelligence Agency
(BIN) chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman, National Police chief
Gen. Timur Pradopo, and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Adm.
Agus Suhartono on Thursday. (Jakarta Post 24 August
2012)

In September another security operations occurred in
Paniai causing great concern among the local people who live
in fear because of the continuous searches of their homes in
villages in the region. During the operations the security
forces confiscated bows and arrows, and other sharp
instruments. Local people are also afraid to work in their
gardens. A report in Majalah Selangkah said the local
community had asked that there be no more troops sent to the
region and those troops already in the area to be withdrawn.
According to the police the security operations are related
to shootings in the region by suspected OPM
members.

Crackdown on the West Papua National
Committee (KNPB)

The following is a brief summary
concerning the crackdown on peaceful activists by the
Indonesian security forces in West Papua. It is by no means
exhaustive. One of the reasons for the crackdown on the West
Papua National Committee (KNPB) is that through peaceful
activism the KNPB is successfully raising awareness about
the plight of the West Papuan people abroad. The last thing
Jakarta wants is the international community focusing on the
human rights abuses in West Papua.

In one horrific
incident the security forces killed Mako Tabuni, deputy
chairman of the KNPB on the 14 June. The police claimed he
was armed and resisting arrest but witnesses said he was not
armed when shot by the security forces which included
members of the Australian trained Detachment 88.

On the 29
of September eight members of KNPB were arrested by the
security forces (including by members of Detachment 88).
They were arrested during a raid on the KNPB Regional
Secretariat in Wamena and were accused of having been
involved in a bomb incident in Wamena. The KNPB claim the
explosives were planted and that they were being framed to
justify the squads (Detachment 88) activities.Victor Yeimo of the KNPB said “We are the
non-violent activists in West Papua. We will fight for our
right of freedom according to the peaceful means in West
Papua. We demand our right of self-determination to a
referendum to be held in West Papua by UN peacefully and
democratically”.

On the 16 of October a group of
Indonesian intelligent agents raided a boarding house to
arrest Danny Wenda and Fanny Kogoya who is a human rights
defender from the Papuan women’s network TIKI. This is
part of the security forces strategy to intimidate human
rights defenders and civil society organisations in West
Papua

On the 18 October the Asian Human Rights Commission
(AHRC) released an urgent action concerning the arbitrary
arrest of five Papuan activists in Jayapura on the 12
October 2012. The five activists were arrested on the
allegation of involvement in importing or distributing
explosive materials. Several weeks before the arrest, two
bombs were found at the secretariat of the West Papuan
National Committee (Komite Nasional Papua Barat, KNPB) in
Wamena and the police suspected Yasons along with his
friends to be linked to it. The allegation, however, could
not be proven and the police later released the activists
after their 24 hours of arrest

On the 23 October the
security forces cracked down onpeaceful
rallies that were held in a number of towns throughout West
Papua including in Timika, Sorong, Biak, Merauke, Yahukimo
Jayapura and Manokwari. The rallies were organised by the
KNPB to draw attention to the UN the human rights abuses
suffered by the West Papuan people and in support of the
IPWP meeting in London.

During the rallies on the 23rd, a
Jakarta Globe stringer and SuaraPapua.com
reporter

Oktovianus Pogau was choked and beaten

by
police as he attempted to report on the protest. Oktovianus
was videotaping

the scene when he was approached by a
plainclothes officer and told to leave. When he refused a
second officer attacked him from behind and in Manokwari 11
people were arrested.

Amnesty International raised
concerns about the crackdown on the rally in
Manokwari

“It is unacceptable that people who have
gathered for a protest should have to fear for their lives.
The indiscriminate use of firearms and excessive force
against protesters by the security forces has to stop – it
is a violation of international law.” said Isabelle
Arradon, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy
Director

At the end of October a security operation
involving members of Detachment 88 caused Villagers from
Kampung Maribu, West Sentani to flee into the jungle in fear
of their lives. A KNPB report said Detachment 88 had
invaded the house of Terrianus Sato who is a member of the
National Parliament of Tabi region. Terrianus family and
other residents in the village fled into the woods and were
for calling international protection.

On the 30 October
six activists were arrested by a combined team of police,
Detachment 88 while in a rented house in Jalan Merpati, Gang
Merpati III, Youtefa Market, Village Awiyo, Abepura
District, Jayapura. The police said they found hundreds of
rounds of ammunition which is why the activists were
arrested.

On the 4 November a traffic officer found a
leader of KNPB in the Fak-Fak regency, Paul Horis dead by
the roadside and another member of the KNPB, Klisman Woi who
was critically injured. Klisman Woi died the following day.
A member of the executive of KNPB sent the following account
of the attacks. “The two activists had hired a motorcycle
and were later found by a member of the traffic police who
realized that the two men were both in a critical condition.
They were lying on the road in terrible shape but the
motorcycle they had been riding on was not damaged, there
were no scratches or signs of damage of any kind”. Victor
Yeimo believes they were victims of an attack by the
Indonesian Special Forces.

Paul Horis
……………. Klisman Woi

On the 16 December
two members of the KNPB were killed by the security forces
during a security operation in Wamena. Hubertus Mabel and
Natalis were shot in Kurulu and later died. Police also
arrested five other members of the KNPB.

Police claim
Hubertus was resisting arrest and they shot him when he
tried to escape. He died from loss of blood in hospital.
There have been reports that the Australian trained
Detachment 88 was involved in the security operation in
which the KNPB members were killed. During the security
operation the sound of gunfire was heard by local people and
was believed to be clashes between the TPN (the military
wing of the OPM) and the Indonesian security forces. In
protest at the killing of the KNPB members the local
population set fire to a small empty police station in
Wamena. A spokesman for the KNPB said that Hubertus had been
immobilized by being shot in the legs and when he was
arrested along with Natalis Alua, the two of them did
nothing to resist arrest yet nevertheless they were shot and
'that Hubertus was severely beaten and stabbed in the chest.

Shootings in West Papua

The incidents
below are just a small number of the cases of shootings in
West Papua in the past year. The situation in the territory
is very complex with many actors involved. Many of the cases
of shootings go unsolved. Perpetrators are regularly
referred to as unknown gunmen or armed gangs although the
security forces usually try to blame the OPM. Analysts
believe some incidents are turf wars between the police and
army over resources. However, combined with regular military
operations they are creating a people traumatized and living
in fear.

Jan. 9. Two employees of a PT
Freeport Indonesia’s contractor, PT Kuala Pelabuhan
Indonesia, Thomas Bagensa and Nasyum Simapoiref, were shot
dead at Mile 51 and their bodies set on fire.

2
Feb. A motorcycle taxi driver is in hospital after
being shot by an unidentified man for no apparent reason.
Police said that the victim, Daeng Yonri, was being treated
in hospital. “Daeng Yonri has been severely wounded. Now
we are trying all we can to save him,” Papua Police
spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono said on Thursday. He said a
team of police officers and army soldiers were hunting the
perpetrators. Wachyono said Yonri was the third shooting
victim so far this month. The other shooting victims, both
killed, are a civilian identified as Kismarovit and First.
Brig. Sukarno, a member of the Papua Mobile Brigade.

9 Feb. Two employees of mining giant PT
Freeport Indonesia’s subcontractor, CV Yawapu, Benny
Yamamo and Phiter Tumoka, were shot on Thursday by an
unidentified person at Mile 37 while driving from Nayaro
village to Timika. Four other people in the car were injured
by glass fragments,” Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr.
Wachyono said in Jayapura. Wachyono did not mention the
condition of the two victims or whether they survive the
ambush.

8 March. An Indonesia
soldier shot Thursday morning during a firefight in Puncak
Jaya, Papua has died, Indonesian Military (TNI) officials
said. First Pvt. Laode was rushed to Mulia Hospital in
critical condition earlier today after a group of armed men
opened fire on a military truck heading to Mulia, the
capital of Papua’s Puncak Jaya district. The soldiers
exchanged fire with the attackers. Laode suffered a gunshot
wound in the attack. The men then took his rife. Doctors at
Mulia Hospital transfered the soldier to Jayapura’s
Marthen Indey Military Hospital for further treatment. But
doctors were unable to save the man.

26 March.
An army officer died on Sunday in Skamto, Jayapura,
after he was stabbed by an unidentified man. Antara news
agency reported that the incident had taken place at 5:20
p.m. local time when Pfc. M. Ikhsan, with the Yon 751 BS
platoon, called out in front of his guard post. Suddenly, a
car stopped and someone from the car stabbed him in the
chest. Ikhsan was rushed to Koya community health center and
then to Dian Harapan Hospital, which is located 15
kilometers away. He died at the hospital because of the
severity of his wound. (The Jakarta Post, 26/3)

8
April. Gunmen fired on a small plane as it landed
at Mulia Airport,Puncak Jaya. One
passenger was killed and four people wounded including both
pilots. The management of Trigana Air said they would
suspend services to the regency until the authorities could
guarantee security at the airport. The military accused the
OPM for the attack but the OPM has denied they were
responsible. More than three weeks after the attack airlines
are still not flying to the destination

14 April.
A convoy of Freeport Indonesia cars was attacked
twice on the road linking Tembagapura and the company’s
Grasberg mine although no one was injured. The Jakarta
Globe reported that “A group of unidentified men
shot the convoy at mile 26. The bullets hit the back windows
of cars. The mobile brigadier and the Indonesian military
were quick to aid the convoy. The cars, however, were shot
again a second time at mile 36. (Jakarta Globe
16/4)

17 May. A motorcycle taxi driver
was shot dead by an unknown person in Mulia, Puncak Jaya.
The victim was identified as Arkilaus Refwutu.

29
May. Anton Arung Tambila, an elementary school
schoolteacher in Puncak Jaya was fatally shot by an unknown
person on Tuesday evening, May 29, 2012.

On the same day
a German tourist, Dietmar Pieper was shot by an unknown
person while walking with his wife Eva Medina at Base G
beach near Jayapura. Dietmar was evacuated to a Singapore
hospital on Saturday morning. He was transported by a
Medivac aircraft that also stopped in Denpasar, Bali, to
pick up portable oxygen needed by Helmut during the flight.

5 June. A university student was
stabbed and beaten to death by a group of men on his way
home in Jayapura, Papua, late on Sunday 5 June. The victim,
identified as Jimi Ajudh Purba, 19, was driving his
motorcycle heading to his boarding house in a neighborhood
in Abepura, Jayapura, when a convoy of men driving
motorcycles was heading in the opposite direction. Seeing
the group, Ajudh pulled over, but the gang suddenly attacked
him, stabbed him in the ribs and left hand several times.
The convoy immediately fled the scene.

7 July
Three people were killed, one soldier and two
civilians on Saturday 7th July. The latest killings took
place at Ndeotadi village in Bogobaida district, Paniai
regency. The three victims have been identified as Chief
Warrant Officer Sunaryo, 51, a member of Paniai Military
District Command; Rosmini, 28, and Aco, 18. They were
found dead with wounds all over their bodies and the case is
still being investigated.

29 August.
There was an attack on a convoy of trucks In the Puncak Jaya
district. Two trucks carrying building materials and staple
goods were stopped in the Tingginambut area of Puncak Jaya
by armed men, who opened fire on the vehicles before setting
them ablaze

10 September. A police
officer guarding a road project in Jayapura was gunned down
by unknown assailants. He was shot 14 times.

14
September. Gunmen fired on a Freeport Indonesia car
in Mimika. Members of the Indonesian Military were riding in
the car and one soldier was injured from broken glass in the
attack. No one was killed

17 September.
Two Freeport cars were also attacked by unknown gunmen on
the road between Timika and the Grasberg mine. No casualties
were reported.

28 Dec. Bintang Papua
report. Seven Papuan fisherman were shot by members of the
TNI (Indonesian army) near Pulau Papan district, Misol
Perairan Raja Apat, West Papua. It is not clear why they
were shot, but one TNI soldier is now being questioned by
POM, the military police in Puncak Rafidin. The commander of
1704/Sorong, Lieut-Col. Rachman Zulkarnain refused to make
any comment about the incident but he did not deny that a
TNI solider was being interrogated by the military police.
They were still trying to find out more about those
responsible for the shooting. 'I want the process to
continue , until we can decide who should be charged for the
incident,' said Zulkarnain.

West Papua -one of
our nearest neighbours

West Papua is one of our
nearest neighbours. The West Papuan people face great
challenges including ongoing human rights abuses, the
exploitation of their natural resources with little benefit
for themselves, the danger of becoming a minority in their
own land as the result of migrants arriving daily and a
HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Recommendations

To the
Australian Government

In light of the ongoing
human rights abuses in West Papua, AWPA urges the Australian
Government

to raise concerns about the deteriorating
human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian
President and to urge the Indonesian Government to release
all West Papuan political prisoners as a sign of good faith
to the West Papuan people.

to re- think its policy of ties
with the Indonesian military until such time that
Indonesian military personnel involved in past human rights
abuses are brought to justice and the culture of the
Indonesian military becomes of an acceptable standard to
both the Australian people and Australian military.

to
urge the AFP to investigate if any members of Detachment 88
they have trained has been involved in security operations
in West Papua, which is outside their brief.

to urge the
Indonesian Government to dialogue with genuine
representatives of the West Papuan people who have been
calling for dialogue with Jakarta for years. AWPA believes
the Australian Government can play an important role in
encouraging the Indonesian Government to dialogue with
representatives of the West Papuan leadership to try and
solve all the issues of concern in West Papua.

to request
permission from the Indonesian Government to allow a
cross-party parliamentary fact finding mission to West Papua
to not only investigate the human rights situation in the
territory but to see how Australia can help the West Papuan
people in capacity building in the fields of health and
education.

We thank the Australian Government for the
funding it has already given to aid projects in West Papua
but urge more aid-funding to support health programs and
medical organizations (local and international) working on
the ground in West Papua and in the long term to support the
training of the West Papuan people themselves as health
professionals. There are a number of Indigenous human rights
NGOs in West Papua and the Australian Government can
strengthen the human rights situation in West Papua by
supporting these organisations with financial aid, capacity
building and education.

To the Indonesian
Government

It is now 50 years since Indonesia
took over administration of West Papua from UNTEA in 1963.
They are ongoing human rights abuses, military operations
and the exploitation of the national resources of West Papua
with little benefit for the West Papuan people. The problems
in West Papua wont be solved by sending more troops or by
more military operations.

We urge the Indonesian
Government to take up the offer of dialogue from genuine
representatives the West Papuan people to try and solve the
issues of concern in the territory.

to release all West
Papuan political prisoners as a sign of good faith to the
West Papuan people.

to ensure that all cases of human
rights violations committed by the security forces in West
Papua are investigated and those found guilty of human
rights abuses are prosecuted.

to improve the health
services for the West Papuan people by more funding to
support health programs and medical organizations (local and
international) working on the ground in West Papua and to
support the training of the West Papuan people themselves as
health professionals.

To the Melanesian Spearhead
Group (MSG) leaders

to raise the human rights
situation in West Papua with the Indonesian President and to
urge the Indonesian Government to release all West Papuan
political prisoners as a sign of good faith to the West
Papuan people.

to request permission from the Indonesian
Government to allow a MSG fact finding mission to West Papua
to investigate the human rights situation in the
territory.

We note that the MSG has granted observer
status to Indonesia at the MSG and AWPA urges the MSG to now
support full membership for the Melanesian people of West
Papua at the next MSG Summit to be held in New Caledonia
(Kanaky) in 2013.

To Pacific Islands Forum
leaders

to discuss the human rights situation in
West Papua at the 44th Pacific Islands Forum to be held in
the Republic of the Marshall Islands in 2013.

to raise the
human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian
President and to urge the Indonesian Government to release
all West Papuan political prisoners as a sign of good faith
to the West Papuan people.

to request permission from the
Indonesian Government to allow a PIF fact finding mission to
West Papua to investigate the human rights situation in the
territory.

to grant observer status to genuine
representatives of the Melanesian people of West Papua who
are struggling for their right to self-determination . We
note that the PIF has granted observer status to Tokelau,
Wallis and Futuna, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United
Nations, the Asian Development Bank, the Word Bank, American
Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, and the
Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States
Secretariat. New Caledonia and French Polynesia, previously
Forum Observers are now Associate Members with Timor Leste
having Special Observer status. We believe that the time is
now right to bring representatives of the Melanesian people
of West Papua back into the Pacific community.

The issue
of West Papua will not disappear and AWPA believes that it
should be of great concern to the Forum that the situation
in West Papua could deteriorate further. The West Papuan
people have been calling for dialogue with Jakarta for years
(under third party mediation) and AWPA believes the PIF can
play an important role in helping facilitate such a dialogue
between genuine representatives of the West Papuan
leadership and the Indonesian Government.

Individuals. Various human rights
organisation put out urgent actions in relation to West
Papua. If you would like to be added to a list for U/A’s
on West Papua which people can responded to, contact AWPA or
subscribe to lists below. See further
information.

Sources

The information in
the report is based on the many urgent actions and reports
released by civil society organisations and human rights
defenders in West Papua and from reports from international
NGO’s. AWPA also monitors the Indonesian and the local
media in West Papua. Photos in the section on the KNPB are
from the organisations own web site. Photos of the attack on
the village of Honai Lama are on the West Papua Media web
page. http://westpapuamedia.info and have
appeared in a number of urgent actions on the incident.

The Australia West Papua Association
(AWPA) is a human rights organisation focusing on the
territory of West Papua. AWPA’s role is to lobby both the
Australian Government and the International Community to
raise concerns about the human rights situation in West
Papua. The West Papuan people face great challenges
including ongoing human rights abuses, the exploitation of
their natural resources with little or no benefit to
themselves, the danger of becoming a minority in their own
land and a HIV/AIDS epidemic. AWPA raises awareness in the
international community about the historical wrongs and
history of West Papua and supports the right of the West
Papuan people to self-determination.

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